The Right Way To Ridicule
by Noir Lime Canuto
Summary: Draco Malfoy finds that Hermione Granger is terribly difficult to get a reaction out of, so he tries something new. Fluffy lil' one-shot. DM/HG, obviously.


_Disclaimer:This universe and the characters within it are not my own. They belong to J.K. Rowling, and all other not aforementioned respective owners. This is a work of fan fiction that no one will be profiting off of. No copyright infringement is intended._

**The Right Way To Ridicule**

Now, a lot of people assume that bad-guys just spend their free time plotting ways to outwit the good-guys. Merlin's aware that that isn't always the case. But it was with Draco Malfoy. At least, it seemed to be today.

He was lounging on the softest couch in the common room, as per usual, and thinking about how he could best bother Hermione Granger. It was so easy to upset her friends, but she rarely ever took the bait. At first he'd figured it was because she was a girl, except he'd bothered girls. Then he thought it was because he was smart, but that was before he made that Ravenclaw cry. He'd decided that it must be her heritage, but then there were all those muggleborns he'd successfully harassed. Finally he'd come to the conclusion that it wasn't her, it was him. Clearly, he was approaching it the wrong way.

Calling her a mudblood didn't work. Name calling was out. Hexing was... messy. Fun for sometimes, but it left too much of a trail. Bugging Weasel and Potter sort of worked, but it wasn't personal enough. He needed to get in her head, and mess things up a bit. Everything he'd tried to far was so predictable, so juvenile. He could go for something more elaborate, but she wasn't worth that.

And then Draco had a brilliant idea, one he was sure would throw her off completely. The only downside was that it would probably only work once.

Hermione was really getting tired of hearing about Quidditch. Didn't anyone care at all about exams? They were only fifteen weeks away! Everyone kept chattering away about some dumb match, and as much as she loved her friends, she really thought it was a better idea to study outside.

Practically no one was nearby, they were all either by the lake or on the pitch. She was surprised when she heard footsteps, and casually looked up. She tried not to groan aloud when she saw that it was Draco Malfoy who'd been walking. Though, now he'd stopped. Right in front of her. Figures.

"Hermione, there's something very important I have to tell you," the pale boy began, pausing to look about, his gaze falling on a couple of students studying in the distance. "I can't tell you here," he continued, "Please come with me."

Hermione stood up, her hands falling to a familiar place on her hips. "Listen, I'm just trying to study. I'm not stupid enough to follow you anywhere. Please just let me alone?" She didn't know why she dared hope, but she thought that perhaps something would go right for a change, and he'd just walk away, convinced.

"I understand that you don't trust me," he murmured, looking away, as if he were ashamed, but, then, he wouldn't be ashamed. It was probably the light.

"Good. Is that all, then?"

"I'll... I'll just tell you here, then," he took a step closer, and she was tempted to take a step back, now uncomfortable, but decided she should stand her ground and not appear intimidated.

"Right. What is it?" She tried to sound sharper than she was feeling. Was that a trace of pink in his cheeks? What on earth was he playing at? He was clearly playing at something.

"I love you, Hermione Granger," as he said this, he looked right in her eyes, almost pleadingly. Almost. But he let the corner of his lip slip ever so slightly, and though she only just noticed, he was fighting a smirk.

"I love you, too, Draco Malfoy," she murmured, and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. Had he seen it coming, he would've backed away.

"R-right, well, you know, just keep that in mind, then," he stuttered, now a delicate shade of pink. She sat down on the grass again, and once she'd seen that he'd walked—well, nearly ran, far enough away, she snickered. Maybe today was a good day.

_Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it at least a little. Please forgive any ridiculous errors, it's a little past 4 am here, and I've been up all nice because I just got braces and my teeth are killing me. Anyhow, thanks again for reading, and I would be greatly in debt if you left a review, as they completely make my days. Have a good one!_


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